


When Canon is Measured in Scores Take Notes

by peoriapeoria



Category: Avengers (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Meta, Other, Skrull(s), non-fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23406955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peoriapeoria/pseuds/peoriapeoria
Summary: This work presents my reads on a number of the comics upon which MCU characters are drawn, or at least their 616 versions. There will be spoilers, as recent as the past few years and going back decades. That major character death, there are going to be several of those. Not all of them get walked off; I may be a bit brusque regarding those and the source includes sexualized poor choices.
Collections: March Meta Matters Challenge, Non-Fiction Works:The Meta





	1. Chapter 1

Avengers/Invaders is an omnibus collection of issues #1-12 of the same name. This was again a re-read, and this time around I was able to find Clint, having not recognized the Ronin costume back in my early MCU days. (2008-2009 for the floppies, 2009 omnibus) He really doesn't get much to do or say. I think Iron Fist is more directly involved since Namor talks at him. Now, if you aren't a comics completest, this is a Time Travel story. The Invaders are Captain America's old team, as written after Timely became Marvel; MCU pushed Nick Fury's Howling Commandos into that slot so WWII wasn't rife with additional powered types in Steve's Origin Story. The Invaders are Bucky (plucky sidekick), The Human Torch (no, not Johnny Storm, this one is synthetic), Toro (who is human and frequently on fire) and Namor the Sub-Mariner. There are actually a few others, but they spend some time dead. Time Travel!

Oh, yeah, Steve's dead in the current day because this is post-Civil War, a metal armed Bucky is Captain America and the Avengers are three separate groups. Maybe only two. Anyway, it's visually interesting though man do they overuse complicated panel splits:I understand the appeal of running whole page spreads but you have to balance that with the ability to tell when that is and is not what's going on.

So, Tony's version of the Avengers (these are his Director of SHIELD days) includes Carol aka Ms. Marvel (btw, the t-shirt in the movie probably is poking fun of her comic book costume which wouldn't be that far off Trent Renzor back in the day, though with greater chance of wedgies) and Ares. I'm not sure which team names are being used by the other Avenger teams, but boy is Kid Bucky not happy with off-brand Hawkeye (yes, Civil War, Thunderbolts, Osborn...) for having a German accent.

The time travel here works pretty well, and there's actually plot. I'm not going to spoil that. There's also shades of The Matrix, fun with Captain America Bucky and Kid Bucky (time travel tropes, people!) and Spitfire's anachronistically presented ass. Even our modern material science cannot make clothing work like superheroine garb, and I've watched the black and white Superman show. The Man of Steel's briefs bagged.

We do send modern day heroes into the past (in disguise. Red Skull killed so many he's Syndrome revisited) and there's the usual reverses before getting It Right. Oh, and the Cosmic Cube. I suppose I should have mentioned that earlier, but really, Red Skull and Time Travel... Wolverine is having such trouble following the rules and Spider-Man's rather harping on it. Doctor Strange is in this compilation. I know, not surprising if a belated mention in this recap.

So, interesting to read, chocked full of Everything (huh, think Endgame will be Sorta The Same?) and then time is returned to normal and Kid Bucky has Determination not to let go of the flying bomb despite Steve's pleas.

The direct edition printed price is $39.99. No idea if it's been reprinted etc.


	2. Chapter 2

Captain Marvel: Secret Invasion, Secret Invasion Inhumans, and Secret Invasion. I have no clue how many other titles were in this event. I have borrowed each of them from the library, and from browsing the shelves.

Captain Marvel:Secret Invasion was issues #1-5 Captain Marvel and Civil War:The Return. I'm taking the 2008 is for both the trade and the floppies. It starts with The Return establishing that the dead Kree superhero Captain Marvel prior to that death traveled through time and has been stored in the Negative Zone as Warden for a supers' super maximum prison. Which is under attack.

Captain Marvel #1 starts with an overview of the Civil War outcomes. And a News Anchor broaching Captain Marvel may be back from the dead. This isn't Carol Danvers, she'll appear in her Ms. Marvel bathing suit and sash before this is done. There are some pages of reflection on Superhero's Civil War and on cancer, then we're at the Louvre because a painting is going to be important the the events. Fight versus Andre Gerard aka Cyclone.

We get a SHIELD agent taking a super secure meeting with Director Stark. I want to make mention that this exchange and the art it's presented in is directly related to good paper. I remember the bad old days, where you couldn't trust the color would align with the black lines. I've probably now read more 'modern' comics than not, but I feel it's important to remember this distinction. The Hala Brotherhood is established as is Mother Starr, formerly socialite Julia Starr, and Nathan Jefferson from the tabloid National Pulse. More with Mar-vel, the aforementioned SHIELD agent and the painting.

Avengers assemble! Hey, it's Carol, also Black Widow, Wasp, Wonder Man, Sentry and Iron Man. Cue some Captain Marvel in his tighter than skin unitard with the high cut detailing. Think Doctor Manhattan's speedo from Watchman. I'm going to skip forward a bit but will mention a helicarrier appearance. Also, Carol taking a flying talk with Mar-vell.

Obsession. Mar-vell is obsessed with that painting, Tony is being Tony and having no brook, and the Skrulls are focused on winning their generational war. These are related. Captain Marvel isn't actually back from the dead, he's a cunning plant. But he thinks he's real, to the point that he leaves the script of his mission and follows what his cover identity leads him to believe is right. Nathan Jefferson also has an arc related to obsession.

\------

Secret Invasion:Inhumans was same #1-4 and Thor #146-147. Those were 2008 and 2009, with inclusion of material from 1967. Yep, it's the gamut. Queen Medusa is getting upset with Tony who's got a dead Skrull wearing her husband's clothes. Blackbolt has very distinctive togs. Meanwhile, on a Skrull ship, Blackbolt is being, interrogated? They want to make him scream. Note:That's Not Good(tm), his powerset is too much to handle. Skrulls invading the Inhuman city on the moon. Kree being taken as allies, sister Crystal as dynastic chip.

There are quests and eventually the modern story is done. Then the remastered material lets us see what Jack Kirby was doing when the bad paper behaved. And, there is a clarity here. He can't spend spreads doing stained glass. Pages are four panel, or one over two/two over one, not the numerous multiplying panes good paper makes possible. These stories are establishing material of Inhumans as world building. There's also some print overview and some thumbnails of characters from the back catalog.

\--------

Secret Invasion was #1-8 of the same name and those were 2008 and 2009. We start with the stairs and Captain America Steve Rogers, leading the news as he's dead. We're in a SHIELD patronized bar, and Dum-Dum Dugan is in attendance. But, not for long. Time for a flashback of Alien Autopsy, Elektra Skrull edition. After the creep fest of Tony Stark, Hank Pym and Reed Richards deployed around the naked green woman's corpse, we get Secret Avengers boosting a Quinjet, and Clint Barton as Ronan reminding the audience of his former prowess with Natasha.

We get a shipload of Avengers appearing. Now, some of them are Skrulls, but some are the real deal. I'm not entirely sure I followed exactly which were which. Bobbi aka Mockingbird however is the real deal. There is quite a bit more to the story, but now it's blurred with everything else I've read and I can't quickly refresh, the panels are too numerous and/or dense. The Embrace Change 'posters' are very creepy.

Tony Stark, Director of SHIELD is replaced by Norman Osborn. That's the upshot.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers and The Secret Avengers. Originally the word Music was a hyperlink to The Ballad of Captain America's Disapproving Face. If you aren't already familiar with that, give it a listen. Comes complete with a kazoo chorus.

Vol 1 & 2 of The Avengers. Per the earlier it was issues 1-6, originally published in 2011, and then 7-12 plus 12.1 (maybe you know what 12.1 means). Both are Bendis and Romita Jr. Vol 1 has time travel. Yes, time travel. Also Ultron, a long haired talkative Hulk and a Tony that's living in the Future. The story takes place after the events of Civil War and we get Ms. Marvel in her bathing beauty sash flying with a chunk of Soldiers' Field for Repair Purposes. Kang. Bucky is Captain America because Steve's learned to delegate and not pick Everything. Vol 2 is Infinity Stones and Mars. And time for Music! Because the Illuminati premise really is built for that ballad. Thanos appears. He's vanquished and the start of Writers are Writing Me This Way begins counter to the aforementioned song. There's also Inhumans tie-in, since Black Bolt was one of the Illuminati.

Secret Avengers, vol. 1, 2, 4. Yeah, 3 wasn't on the shelf but considering how I've been bouncing around in time? Vol 1 was 1-5 and 2011. This is Steve and Agent 13, Valkyrie, Black Widow, Beast, Moonknight, and some others. One of Nick Fury's LMDs gained sentience and is deep undercover in some American Civil War aftermath secret society. Mars. issues 6-12 are mostly Eyes of the Dragon aka Chinese lich must consume the life-force of his son to return to life. So he can beget some more children to feed on later. More Fury-clone. Also an earlier Supersoldier than Steve retconned into existence. This run was Brusker and Deodato. Vol. 4 is 21.1 and 22-25 (2012). We start off with Steve in the Captain America costume and Clint in the simplified Hawkeye costume. The New Masters of Evil. Captain Britain. The Pym Particle Space Station. Venom infused wounded military veterans. (Do I see shades of Iron Man 3?) There's a hidden world of yet more Special Project Lifeforms. Original Human Torch (aka Synthoid take 1.) This is Remender, first with Patch Bircher while the run was Gabriel Hardman.


	4. Spider-Man, Time Travel, and Other Library Woes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Amazing Spider-Man:Renew Your Vows 2015  
> Secret Avengers vol 3 2012  
> Siege:New Avengers 2010
> 
> This one only makes sense because these were what I brought back one particular library trip.

The Amazing Spider-Man:Renew Your Vows was originally floppies of the same name numbered 1-5 and Spider-Verse #2. Publication 2015. This is part of Secret Wars. I've not read the Event, though I recognize Battleworld and understand about multiverse destruction. Doctor Von Doom has stitched together salvaged parts of 616 (Classic Marvel) and 1610 (Ultimate Marvel). Grown up Peter Parker, MaryJane Parker and their young redhead daughter Annie star.

Peter ends up having to make a decision, between being part of an Avengers Assemble and saving his family from Venom. MaryJane demonstrates how knowledge is power; Peter talks to his wife and it's vital to a great bit of distressed damsel saves herself and daughter so boss fight is denouement not Manpain Wallow. 

Time cut/elapse. Annie is now a big elementary girl and the world is a clean dystopia. Powers are harvested if detected. That Assemble Peter couldn't make, it didn't go so well. S.H.I.E.L.D. has become a resistance complete with an alive human Edwin Jarvis and a Clint rocking the purple arrow and no sleeves look. D-Man, Peter is getting another taste of decisions have consequences.

Annie wants to fight to save her friends. MaryJane gives Peter his black and white costume she'd hid. She suits up in captured armor, once it's figured out Peter has in his brilliance at protecting his daughter given the Resistance their break at taking down the Regent. Yep, you don't want to deal with a mad mama. Clint does not underestimate the abilities of a kid to be underestimated and thus save the day.

The Spider-Verse is the light piece to dessert after the thrilling conclusion. 

Secret Avengers vol 3 was available so I grabbed that too. This was 16-21 in 2012. Steve, Beast, Black Widow and Moonknight go a mile under Cincinnati to a secret world of Atomic Cadillacs and aerial roadways in an abandoned retro futurist city. Then it's locating an old skunkworks meat computer. "No Zone" reprises Shang-Chi fighting a bunch of that super secret society showing serpents. Agent 13 and Beast are working with Steve, the enemy are mining matter from "Bad Continua" (think Negative Zone- aka the laws of physics are wonky there) as explosives to use in our world. The next story are people hyped up on elder gods. The penultimate story is Natasha's as she demonstrates how to not cause a time bubble while time traveling a rescue for a botched mission. Then we get alien hybrids and how even bad guys can have convictions that some weapons are too dread to exist. I have to say, this volume really needs fan fiction to grapple with the moral issues that are only touched on.

Siege:New Avengers was New Avengers#61-64, New Avengers Annual #3, Dark Reign:The List- Avengers and New Avengers Finale. 2010. This includes the single floppy I recapped earlier. Recall that Avengers Tower has been taken by Norman Osborn's Avengers, while our heroes are outlaws. Clint, whose traditional costume has been coopted, is in his Ronin aspect and is hotheaded about taking out the trash. There is Luke Cage and Jessica Jones navigating being parents on the run, Clint and Bobbi reuniting after all that's happened to them, Spider-Man driving Spider-Woman nuts with his banter (I don't know where the whole selling off his happiness with MJ for Aunt May's life and soul fits.) and Asgard dropping to earth (it had been hovering) in Oklahoma.


	5. Back To the 20th Century!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers approximately 1998.

I think I probably read this one early on in my MCU embrace. Keep in mind I didn't really know about Ultimates or any of the Ultimate This That and the Other titles. That took time and tumblr.

So, this was a bit of a relaunch (I've not read Onslaught) but I knew more of the main characters this time around. Given that this collection is printed a bit larger than life, how did people read the text? There's lots of interesting stuff, Morgan le Fay, Squadron Supreme for Heroes fight Heroes needs, Agatha Harkness, Wundagore.

There is an Avengers Parade which is sorta embedded in the fourth wall--if you can explain that better, please comment. I don't know there's a way to do that in text. It's fun.

I am wondering how much illusion netting is in some of the costumes. There are some panels where Steve and Clint are looking like no cowls would be needed to be mistaken as identical cousins. They are having some beef, but it never gets so nasty you believe the writers hate them or expect them to never patch things up. (Yeah, I may have a low bar now.) There's a bit of Photon and more Falcon and T'Challa; the early books were chock full of Avengers with a cast of SCORES of Superheroes. I am a bit disconcerted by Triathlete's back story; if there wasn't a trend I'd take it purely as set up for the Triune that's doing some play fair foreshadowing. Silverclaw, Edwin Jarvis' sponsor child, I think they were trying in good faith. I will say it was hilarious that he was oblivious that children do age- not because it's unbelievable but rather all too believable. Interesting story spin, there is that and she does have personality and many other qualities.

A number of these things I mentioned wouldn't be so obvious if they weren't still a question of how as a culture we handle diversity, inclusion and structural inequities. Wanda's costuming, there are issues about tropes and there is incorrect G- usage regarding her Romany now foster parents.

So, there is a bit of an overview. They pull out the stops, it's a ride; some bumps.


	6. All New Hawkeye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is for All-New Hawkeye, that's after the Fraction & Aja run.

This vol collected several issues, with a 'current' storyline with 2 Hawkeyes (Clint and Kate) and a flashback to Clint's childhood and the circus. Two distinct art styles are used, allowing the intercutting of them. Some of the panels deserve a shout out. 

There are a few things that I do have to mention, because, well, here I go:

Making the entire circus a criminal enterprise, while a choice, plays into stereotypes and I'm not comfortable with that for a backstory/B plot. The Swordsman is more nuanced as a villain which is good; but there's also an assistant--- a minor in a sexual [her actual age is undisclosed] with it as more to do with characterization of male characters...

While Maria Hill is specifically playing up the hardball angle in order to then secretly let Clint know her hands are tied but his not so much, that's a much more fraught scene while Maria Hill is Latina-I'm not sure how often Maria has gone back and forth as to ethnicity.

Finally, I must address the children. The grotesque children Kate locates, the Communion weapon. I expect they are a clapback to how The Thing used to be drawn, or perhaps Weirdo Art. Especially with the circus ties, I either need a lampshade from Clint (though his circus may not provide that background) or...

These things said, the story isn't complete yet so some of this may resolve in the next volume.

\------------------------

Recall that vol 1 (I read via collections, that being how my library holdings work.) ended with Old Man Hawkeye and Oldish Hawkeye (Kate)

Turns out that it's not a time travel story at all, but a very deconstructed Christmas Carol or at least Ghosts of Future Not Yet Happened.

Like vol 1 there are two times being recounted with different art styles. The current day is mostly saturated while there's more smudgy pastel effects for the Future.

Current Hawkeye relents that letting the Communion children be taken was a bad call. So they go after them, get them, and stash them on the island Barney bought and is living on with Simone and her two children.

That makes no sense; Clint can endanger himself when it comes to Barney, it's a habit but this is not a thing about which a writer should have Clint disregarding how unreliable his brother is.

There also are some flashbacks, of Katie this time.


	7. Tales of Suspense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawkeye and The Winter Soldier team-up. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware that there's been some 'slippage' regarding whether Barney and Clint ran away to a circus or if Hawkeye was in a carnival sideshow. However, I wrote this the way I did; add any seasonings to taste.

Tales of Suspense featuring Hawkeye and The Winter Soldier is something I got from the library without knowing really anything other than what characters it headlined. Without digging it can be hard to know what era a trade is from. This is issues 100-104 and from 2017. That's a fair jump from the 2011 circa I've been reading. I'm going to mention this follows events within Secret Empire, that the book is rated T+ and it's marked as $15.99 US.

The story opens in a funeral home, in a viewing line. Clint is being awkward, as he sometimes is, and ruminating. At the last pane of the third page, we learn this is a HYDRA operative down. By the fifth page a fight is in progress. We're going to have a small digression here.

Having run away to the Circus is a strong part of who Clint is to me. Which is why the careless grab of the floor candlestick and the resulting curtain fire is Out of Character to me. Fire is the most terrible thing that can happen under canvas. 

The writer and artist can take this fight however they want and they didn't want him to pinch the wick, or one hand with the candlestick while holding the pillar candle in the other. Instead a curtain is ignited and goes up like it's the 1970s. This is for humor, as is punching the funeral home director coming with the extinguisher. It is drawn in a misleading position. On the final page of the scene we learn not only has the business been destroyed, but the proprietor lived on site. This is seen as funny, not a source of sympathy or guilt.

The story relocates to Clint following up on his lead. There are some nice panels and Clint style humor. He makes some assessments of the situation, so we can follow along without his SHIELD training. There's a nice bit of business of him getting his hands from behind his back to in front, that calls on his circus days.

Some more happens and finally Bucky, the Winter Soldier appears with a priceless set of epithets only Clint's mind could string together. The plot starts to clear and there's an explosion.

This is some good looking comics. I could do without the name calling between Clint and Bucky, but writer's going to please themselves. More plot thickens. And then it's time for Natasha to enter the story just in time for the 102 cliffhanger. Now, much of what follows is in pretty good company as far as comics goes. I don't agree with everything, and some of Natasha's actions are more rule of cool than well considered morality play. I want more Ursa Major; I don't know if he's a super smart bear, or a human consciousness transplanted into a bear. More Comrade Major, more Bucky riding into battle on the shoulders of a bear like Teddy Roosevelt's ghost; that would be worthy.


End file.
